Music

How the iPad is revolutionizing music production

Written by

[VIDEO] Nice find from Cult of Mac’s Charlie Sorrel. The video in the main Loop post is an interview with Grammy award-winning music producer Henny Tha Bizness and is his take on the iPad’s place in professional music production.

The whole video is interesting but, at the very least, jump to 6:28 into the video when Henny asks producer Ken Lewis about his take on using an iPad rather than a Mac.

Insightful take on the switch from analog (knobs and sliders) to a mouse interface, and back to analog (knobs and sliders that you touch directly). It’s all about feel.

Kris Wu’s iTunes takeover happened “fraudulently”, won’t count toward charts

Written by

Variety:

A strange thing happened on the iTunes U.S. store on Monday (Nov. 5) when Kris Wu, a Chinese-Canadian actor and artist, practically swept the Top 10 songs chart.

And:

It seemed curious that Wu, whose album “Antares” had yet to be released in China, would have such momentum on a U.S. chart. While he’s a household name in Asia, in America he’s comparably an unknown. Also, Wu’s tracks weren’t streaming in significant numbers which was reason enough for some industry insiders to cry foul.

And:

According to a well-placed insider, Wu’s album sales were acquired fraudulently and will not count toward the iTunes sales chart reported to Nielsen and disseminated by Billboard. The determination was made to “suppress those sales numbers” on Wednesday afternoon following patterns of high-volume purchases on iTunes, first of the explicit version of “Antares,” and then of the clean version.

An odd story, but not quite what it appears. Read on:

According to insiders, there were several factors that contributed to Wu’s showing. First, his album hadn’t yet been released in China where the label purportedly purposely held it back so it could come out on Wu’s birthday, Tuesday, Nov. 6. Typically, albums come out on Fridays worldwide, as per the global release date change instituted in 2015. But in the U.S., it was already available on iTunes, released by Interscope Records on Nov. 2. What transpired was a classic supply and demand scenario where “supply in the U.S. met the demand in China.”

Not sure how this is fraud. One theory holds that massive China fans resorted to VPNs to get the album in the US when they couldn’t get it in China. But is that fraud? Interesting.

Three year old Freddie Mercury fan belts out Bohemian Rhapsody

Written by

[VIDEO] This is just impossibly cute. And I’m thinking she learned this from watching Wayne’s World. Why? Cause of the bit at about 1:20 in, in which young Holly Lee proceeds to head-bang, like a boss. Video embedded in the main Loop post.

When a musician on the cusp of fame dies, what happens to all the music on their laptop?

Written by

Jon Caramanica, New York Times:

Lil Peep died of an accidental drug overdose last November at 21. Afterward, attention turned to his computer. First, it went to London, where the files were backed up by First Access Entertainment, the company that helped guide his career.

Then it went to his mother, Liza Womack. In an interview in her cozy Long Island home, sitting on a nondescript couch that belonged to Peep and was shipped cross-country after his death, she calmly recalled walking into an Apple store, handing the laptop to a clerk, and saying: “My son died. This is him. Take this and put it on a new one.”

Sometime after that, in London, the producer George Astasio and Peep’s longtime musical collaborator Smokeasac finally set out to catalog its contents. What they found were Lil Peep’s complete recordings — some finished, some in fragments; some heard and familiar, many not.

This is an interesting story. Lil Peep was just starting to break out. With his death, what would, and should, become of all his songs and song snippets?

Chris Cornell, doing a solo acoustic of Black Hole Sun

Written by

[VIDEO] This was a bit tough for me to watch. Chris Cornell was an immense talent who took his life last year. This is a chance to see him up close, talking about and playing his signature song. The video is embedded in the main Loop post.

Paint it Black, on a weird guitar/harp hybrid

Written by

[VIDEO] I’ve heard other songs played on this instrument, but somehow, this guitar-harp hybrid seems made for Paint it Black. Video embedded in main Loop post.

Opinion: Apple Music’s human curation falls apart when it comes to less mainstream tastes

Written by

Terrific analysis by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac. Apple’s motivations aside, I think music curation is a tough problem to solve.

My musical tastes are all over the place. People who know me very well, musicians who share much of my musical tastes, have a difficult time making recommendations for me. It’s just not easy to figure out what music will press that button for someone.

That said, I’d like to see more experimental interfaces that make it possible for me to wander my musical tree on the fly. I’d like to play some music that I love, then have an interactive training session, via Siri, purely dedicated to exploring “more like this” kind of music, where I can do more than just love or hate the presented choices. Something more conversational that allows me to express specifics of what I enjoy or dislike.

For example, I love soulful music that contains technical artistry (e.g., great singing, complex harmonies, or technical guitar, piano skill, etc.) If you and I were listening to music together, I could point all these things out. But if all I get is “love” or “don’t love”, it becomes much harder to convey the subtlety of my personal tastes.

All this said, I think this ability is coming. With advancements in processing complexity and machine learning, I believe a new window to modeling musical tastes is opening. I have no doubt that someone, somewhere will crack this problem.

The house that Springsteen built

Written by

Nick Corasaniti, New York Times:

IT’S MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, 1976, and nearly 1,000 people pack a tiny club in Asbury Park, N.J., to watch a local band and a local legend named Bruce Springsteen, share their mix of rock and soul with a wider world that had all but written off this struggling seaside city for good.

And:

Since it opened in 1974, the club, the Stone Pony, has been the beating heart of Asbury Park, a beacon for musicians and fans alike. But its survival, much like that of its host city, has been a constant battle, a story of resilience and revival, of sold-out shows and shuttered windows.

Here is the renowned club’s history, as told by the owners, musicians, staff and fans who have called its dark black interior and low-slung stage home.

Growing up in New Jersey, Springsteen was almost a religion. And the Stone Pony was the center of his universe. This is a brilliantly told tale of a major branch of the rock family tree.

11 year old plays a masterful Classical Gas on ukulele

Written by

[VIDEO] The fact that this kid is only 11 years old just knocks me out. Fantastic performance. Hard to believe this sound is coming out of a ukulele. Bravo, kid, bravo. Video embedded in man Loop post.

The untold stories of Paul McCartney

Written by

Sir Paul is 76 years old, and still has some new material. If you are at all into Beatles history, this is a fascinating read. A bit long, with equal measures of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Long lost original demo of Imagine by John Lennon

Written by

[VIDEO] Jason Kottke:

While sifting through boxes upon boxes of the original tapes for Yoko Ono, engineer Rob Stevens discovered something truly remarkable that had gone unnoticed all these years. “Early 2016, during the gestation period of this project, I’m in the Lennon archives with my people going through tape boxes that have labeling that’s unclear, misleading, or missing entirely”, says Stevens. “There’s a one-inch eight-track that says nothing more on the ‘Ascot Sound’ label than John Lennon, the date, and the engineer (Phil McDonald), with DEMO on the spine. No indication of what material was on the tape. One delicate transfer to digital later, the “Imagine” demo, subsequently enhanced superbly by Paul Hicks, appears within this comprehensive set. It was true serendipity.”

Listen for yourself. Video embedded in main Loop post.

The most popular song of each year, from 1940-2017

Written by

[VIDEO] This is a terrific edit (embedded in the main Loop post), taking you from 1940 through today in a single stream. The list was made up of songs that spent the most time at number one on the Billboard charts.

That means, you won’t see Michael Jackson, Nirvana or Queen, even though each has songs that make any list of top 100 songs of all time. That quibble aside, this was a fun listen.

If you liked this, you might also check out the UK version.

Warner Music Group sells its entire stake in Spotify

Written by

Interesting move. Warner Music Group comment on the sale:

This sale has nothing to do with our view of Spotify’s future. We’re hugely optimistic about the growth of subscription streaming, we know it has only just begun to fulfill its potential for global scale. We fully expect Spotify to continue to play a major role in that growth.

Odd to get out if their confidence is so high. I found the logic confusing. You can read more about the WMG earnings call here.

What makes this song great: Roundabout by Yes

Written by

[VIDEO] Fan of the Yes song Roundabout? This is a wonderful video (embedded in the main Loop post). Rick Beato does what he does best, taking apart a song, piece by piece, exposing all the complexities and helping you appreciate Roundabout at a whole new level.

Paul McCartney Carpool Karaoke

Written by

[VIDEO] This was beautifully done. If you have even the slightest of Beatles fan within, you should take the time to watch (video embedded in main Loop post).

Paul shows James Corden around Liverpool and they stop at various spots made famous in song, including that barber shop on Penny Lane where “the barber shaves another customer”.

Ah, sweet nostalgia, take me away!

Best performance of Highway to Hell I’ve ever seen

Written by

Not sure what it is about this click I found so amazing, but it really clicked for me. Maybe all the color, or perhaps the terrific camera work and vivid photography. No matter, see for yourself (embedded in the main Loop post).

Robert Plant watching that 8-year-old drumming along to Led Zeppelin

Written by

First things first, if you have not yet watched the original video, jump over to our original post from last week and check it out.

With that in mind, watch Led Zeppelin’s own Robert Plant seeing 8-year-old Yoyoka Soma do her thing for the first time in the video embedded in the main Loop post. Wonderful.

And I think he was offering her a job. Please, oh please get in the same room with her!

The end of owning music: how CDs and downloads died

Written by

Rolling Stone:

As streaming gives the music industry its biggest profits in a decade, the CD business continues to plunge. CD sales have fallen 80 percent in the past decade, from roughly 450 million to 89 million.

And:

Since Tesla began manufacturing cars without CD players, other companies like Ford and Toyota have recently followed. Downloads – once seen as the CD’s replacement – have plummeted 58 percent since peaking in 2012, their profits now even smaller than physical sales.

And:

Artists have taken note; Bruce Springsteen released his latest box set, The Album Collection Vol. 2, 1987-1996, exclusively on vinyl, with no CD option, unlike 2014’s Vol. 1.

So the music world is evolving to streaming and vinyl. CDs are still there, but that world is clearly shrinking.

Fascinating to see vinyl continue to take hold. That’s becoming the way to own music. And, clearly, there are people who still value that.

8 year old drummer nails Zeppelin tune

Written by

[VIDEO] Her name is Yoyoka Soma and she’s 8 years old. Oh, and she rocks. As you’ll see (embedded in the main Loop post). Great song choice, no easy drum pattern.

Canada’s own Ariana Gillis with a heartfelt cover, beautiful video

Written by

[VIDEO] For those who aren’t familiar with the origins of this song, no spoilers. I love this aching performance, especially as the band joins in and her voice really goes to town.

But I also love the video itself (embedded in the main Loop post), minimalist and well filmed, showing off the bands playing in closeup, as well as revealing all the gear they use to perform.

Wonderful.

[VIDEO] The Prince Purple Rain performance that became the actual release version

Written by

[VIDEO] This is a video (embedded in the main Loop post) of Prince doing a benefit at a Minneapolis club, performing a version of Purple Rain that would go on, after editing, to become the album version of the song.

As you watch the video, check the comments/subtitles to watch for where the album version edits occur. Fascinating to watch this source material of such an important (to me at least) work.

Check this link and this link for some more detail on that 1983 benefit.

The fascinating history of the “orchestra hit”

Written by

[VIDEO] This is an amazing walk through history, from Stravinsky all the way to Bruno Mars, all connected by that same sample, known as the orchestra hit. Terrific video (embedded in the main Loop post), learned a lot, lots of great musical samples, too.

[Via Kottke.org]

YouTube Music, a new music streaming service, is coming soon

Written by

YouTube blog:

YouTube Music is a new music streaming service made for music: official songs, albums, thousands of playlists and artist radio plus YouTube’s tremendous catalog of remixes, live performances, covers and music videos that you can’t find anywhere else – all simply organized and personalized.

And better search:

YouTube Music search works even if fans don’t know exactly what they’re looking for … we’ll find it if they describe it (try “that hipster song with the whistling”) or give us some lyrics (try “I make money moves”).

And:

While fans can enjoy the new ad-supported version of YouTube Music for free, we’re also launching YouTube Music Premium, a paid membership that gives you background listening, downloads and an ad-free experience for $9.99 a month. If you are a subscriber to Google Play Music, good news, you get a YouTube Music Premium membership as part of your subscription each month.

To me, the branding is confusing, but the access to the tremendous catalog of things you can only find on YouTube is compelling. Will user posted content be included?

For example, will this video of Dave Grohl and his daughter Violet performing Adele’s “When We Were Young” be included in the mix? If so, will uploaders be compensated in the same way as when their videos are watched?